Not much is expected of Butler basketball in 2022-23. Thad Matta's job? 'Make them better'
Thad Matta says he wanted to come into the first season of his second tenure as Butler basketball coach with no preconceptions about players.
Maybe that was merited to preserve optimism. Because preconception about these Bulldogs is they will be bad. Really bad.
In the Big East preseason poll announced Tuesday, the Bulldogs were projected by conference coaches to finish eighth. Not since their first year in the league, 2013-14 — when they were picked for ninth and placed ninth — have they been picked lower.
Jayden Taylor: 'My sophomore year is going to be really big.' Butler hopes so.
Insider: Takeaways from Butler's 4-0 trip include breakouts by Manny Bates, Chuck Harris
In KenPom computer rankings, Butler is even worse: 11th, or dead last. Under coach LaVall Jordan, Butler tied for ninth at 6-14 last season.
No Butler player was selected to the first or second All-Big East teams. Chuck Harris made honorable mention.
The 55-year-old Matta is 439-154 in stops at Butler, Xavier and Ohio State. He ranks fourth in winning percentage (.740) among active college coaches with at least 10 years of experience. He was 24-8 in his other Butler season, 2000-01.
“The biggest thing with coaching now is you’ve got to stay up with the times and always be ready for whatever could happen,” Matta said at Big East media day in New York. “One of the biggest things is trying to recruit the right type of kids that you want to coach and that fit to your university, and then you make them better.
“A lot like when I went to Xavier, when I went to Ohio State, I really didn’t take a look at film. I wanted everybody to start with a blank. Everything was from new. I think the biggest thing upon getting the job was starting to establish the culture we wanted in the program.”
Matta upgraded the roster with transfers Eric Hunter Jr. (Purdue), Manny Bates (North Carolina State), Ali Ali (Akron) and Jalen Thomas (Georgia State). Hunter and Bates were Butler’s two player representatives on media day at Madison Square Garden.
“Once we knew who we had on the team, I didn’t care what they had done in the past,” Matta said. “Now, let’s move forward. Make them better, and make them better in how we want to play.”
Creighton, for the first time, was picked for first place. The Bluejays, the only team in the conference featuring three returning double-figure scorers, had eight first-place votes and had 98 points.
Xavier was second with two first-place votes and 86 points. Villanova was third and Connecticut fourth.
Contact IndyStar reporter David Woods at david.woods@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.
Big East basketball preseason poll, all-conference teams
COACHES' POLL
First-place votes in parentheses
1, Creighton (8) 98
2, Xavier (2) 86
3, Villanova (1) 85
4, Connecticut 77
5, Providence 62
6, St. John’s 52
7, Seton Hall 44
8, Butler 36
9, Marquette 32
10, Georgetown 21
11, DePaul 12
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Adama Sanogo, Connecticut
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Cam Whitmore, Villanova
ALL-BIG EAST
First team
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton, C, Jr., 7-1
Jared Bynum, Providence, G, Gr., 5-10
Posh Alexander, St. John’s, G, Jr., 6-0
Colby Jones, Xavier, G, Jr., 6-6
Jack Nunge, Xavier, F, Gr., 7-0
Second team
Arthur Kaluma, Creighton, F, So., 6-7
Ryan Nembhard, Creighton, G, So., 6-0
Kadary Richmond, Seton Hall, G, Jr., 6-6
Caleb Daniels, Villanova, G, Gr., 6-4
Eric Dixon, Villanova, F, R-Jr., 6-8
Justin Moore, Villanova, G, Sr., 6-4
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Butler basketball: Bulldogs picked to finish eighth in Big East poll
